Sophie Cunningham slams door shut as Fever beat Sun for third-straight win: Likes and Dislikes
The Fever have won three ugly games in a row.
MY KITCHEN, Ind. – The Indiana Fever were looking for a third-straight win as they hit the road on Saturday. They were in Connecticut to battle the Sun, and it was the final game for the Fever in Mohegan Sun Arena (pending future expansion) as the Sun are relocating to Houston next year.
Connecticut entered the game losers of four straight and holding the WNBA's worst record at 2-12. They are pesky and play an up-tempo style, but they have not been able to string together success this season. The Fever haven't been consistent either, but their highs are much higher.
Sophie Cunningham was back in the lineup for the Fever after missing Thursday's win due to injury. Likes and Dislikes from Fever vs Sun.
Tony East
DISLIKE: Early turnovers
The Fever made their first two shots (both from Caitlin Clark) and three of their first four. Yet after 2.5 minutes, they were down by six points and looking for offensive flow.
Turnovers were the problem. The Fever had three before they made their third shot. Connecticut punished, using the open floor to make six of their first seven shots.
When the Fever were able to actually get a shot up, they were on target. But turnovers held them back to start the game.
LIKE: Stars shooting from three in response
After falling behind by six in the first few minutes of the game, the Fever settled in. They stopped turning the ball over, then got some stops in the halfcourt.
To claim the lead for the first time, the Fever relied on the three ball. And it was the star players knocking them down. Clark hit two, and one of them was incredibly difficult. Kelsey Mitchell drilled one and Aliyah Boston canned a catch-and-shoot triple.
Indiana made their first fourth outside shots, and it was their star players getting it done. The barrage of threes pushed the Fever into the lead for the second time at 14-13.
LIKE: Short corner space in the first
Monique Billings and Makayla Timpson were both finding space to score in the first quarter by flashing from the short corner. That opened up a passing option against a Connecticut defense that steps up against driving ball handlers.
Billings was the Fever's second-leading scorer after one quarter with six. Timpson finished a tidy and-one after a pass from Mitchell later in the frame. Those two frontcourt players chipping in went a long way toward Indiana's 30 first-quarter points.
The Fever's defense wasn't awesome early, but much of their defensive struggles could be traced back to turnovers and other offensive failings. After one frame: Fever 30, Sun 29.
DISLIKE: Offense to start the second quarter
Even with starters on the floor, the Fever's offense to open the second quarter struggled. It was the opposite of the high-scoring first period – both teams were off from the field.
In the first six minutes of the second quarter, the Fever scored just six points. Three of their first 11 shots dropped, and Boston missed three-straight foul shots. The team had two turnovers, too.
All 11 of the shots came from Mitchell, Boston, and Clark. Those three are reliable – it was more so a blip than a trend. But it was still a slog for the Fever offensively, and they were tied at 36 with four minutes until halftime.
LIKE: Defense to close the first half
Connecticut reached 36 points on the scoreboard with 6:07 left until halftime. They did not score again until there were 51 seconds to go in the first half.
In the final 6:06 of the second quarter, the Fever's defense was excellent. The Sun shot 1/11 from the field and had two turnovers. Lexie Hull made several big defensive plays and added more on the glass. Billings also provided solid play on the less glamorous end of the court during that stretch.
The Fever went on a 13-2 run in that span, building a double-digit lead for the first time of the game. It got them to halftime with a 47-38 lead.
LIKE: Caitlin Clark, in her bag
Clark opened the second half by hitting a shot she continues to get up: A turnaround two-point jumper after bumping a defender. Usually, it's a short mid-range J.
She then hit a three, reaching 17 points for the game on 7/11 shooting. Her creativity and accuracy both were clicking to that point in the game. Clark had more than doubled the scoring total of any Sun player at the time. It was an efficient performance for the star guard.
DISLIKE: Bench play
After three quarters, the Fever had 22 made shots. 20 of them came from the starting five, and even that came with zero baskets for Lexie Hull. The big three, plus Billings, were doing much of the scoring work.
Fever reserves were 2/4 from the field through three quarters. Both of those numbers are low. Timpson was active early, but outside of that stretch it was tough for any bench player to put their stamp on the game on either end of the court.
The second unit needed to step up in the final quarter. After three: Fever 63, Sun 60.
DISLIKE: Holding leads
For the fourth-straight game, the Fever blew a double-digit lead and fell behind in the fourth quarter. They were up 12 against the Liberty, then lost. Their lead was 17 against the Mystics before falling behind late. And two days ago, the Fever were up by 19 against the Sky in the first half. That game went to overtime.
Once again, this was an issue in Connecticut. The Fever's offense was off after the first quarter. After leading by as much as 11 in the first half, the Sun took a 65-64 lead early in the fourth frame.
It's a huge issue for the Fever and one they must solve going forward. They answered quickly after a timeout – Clark hit a three to push her team back ahead 67-65. But they shouldn't have needed an answer in the first place.
LIKE: Sophie Cunningham in crunch time
The Fever led by two with 2:10 to go and had the ball. They needed one more strong punch to close out the Sun but weren't finding success on either end of the floor.
Enter Cunningham, the reserve the Fever needed. With 2:06 to go, she stepped into a three on a kick out from Boston. She drilled it. On the next possession, that same duo linked up for another Cunningham three that put the Fever up eight.
Connecticut called a timeout. It didn't stop a thing. Cunningham hit a 14 footer on the Fever's next possession, then a three with 22 seconds on the clock. Dagger(s).
The Fever were up double digits, then blew that lead. But Cunningham's dominant close pushed the Fever's lead back over 10, and they held on for a win. It's the third-straight Fever victory, and they're now 8-5. The final score: 85-75.
Thank you for reading. The Fever are back home for their next game, their first-ever battle with the Toronto Tempo. Sign up to have a story from that game sent your way.
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